If you’ve been around for her first term as mayor, you know that Dorothy shows up.
She shows up to cultural celebrations, city-sponsored events, local businesses, trade delegations, committee meetings, birthday parties... She shows up for Waterloo residents, and she listens.
Dorothy meets people where they are.
An experienced community leader for nearly 20 years, she has a proven record with municipal, provincial and federal governments; non-profits, and the private sector across Waterloo Region.
She first lived in Waterloo as a student at Wilfrid Laurier University, earning a bachelor’s degree in communications studies and playing on the university basketball team. While Waterloo’s universities drew Dorothy as a student, it is the city’s vibrancy that enticed her to live here. In 2015, she also earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Western Ontario.
She lives in Waterloo with her husband, Janek, who is a local real estate agent, and they are parents to two university-aged daughters.
Dorothy places high value on volunteering,
and has the track record to prove it.
She has chaired a local Syrian refugee sponsorship committee, and a local school council. She volunteered most recently with Climate Action Waterloo Region and Parents for Community Living.
She has also given her time to a neighbourhood association social committee, and coached youth basketball teams. She served as a board member for a local community health centre, and as a Canadian Crossroads International volunteer in Zimbabwe.
Volunteers are a crucial part of every community,” she says. “Without volunteers, programs would not run – including for children in new sports, library programs or boards of directors, for example. We need to think creatively about how to engage people who have busy schedules, and those who are newer to our community, for whom volunteering is not something they may have tried before.